Rainwater collecting in door whilst parked

[Little Red Monster]

I have no choice but to park our new A3 on a slight incline. When opening the door of the car (after it has been raining), quite a bit of water drains out of the bottom front of the door. Not a problem perhaps short term, but this could cause rust in the long term? Do you think Audi has made allowances for rainwater collecting in the door and to prevent corrosion?

 

[Schizophonic]

I've noticed this a bit on mine as well. It's only drips onto the side of the seat when I open the door.

 

[dieseldoug]

Your car should have wax sealing inside the doors but you should mention this to Audi incase you have to claim paint damage later on at least you have reported the issue, they may look at the door seals for you.

 

[Little Red Monster]

Your car should have wax sealing inside the doors but you should mention this to Audi incase you have to claim paint damage later on at least you have reported the issue, they may look at the door seals for you.

Good idea, I will do that!

 

[cuke2u]

Hi, this rain water 'issue' appears to be normal. My Focus does it and my Mondeo did it and I expect my A3 Saloon to do it. It is down to the design of modern bodywork

 

[cemerson]

On a semi related note... I managed to press on my keys the other day while I was at a friends house (while they were in my pocket and I was sat down) in such a way that the unlock button was held down... my car was parked outside, and the windows all opened a bit (and managed to unlock the boot too). It was raining a bit so the seats got a bit wet (only a few drops, not that bad). Needless to say the first thing I did was turn off the windows up/down with key holding function in the MMI so that didn't happen again... not sure what you can do to stop the boot opening accidentally though! Bit worrying...

 

[Itguy]

On a semi related note... I managed to press on my keys the other day while I was at a friends house (while they were in my pocket and I was sat down) in such a way that the unlock button was held down... my car was parked outside, and the windows all opened a bit (and managed to unlock the boot too). It was raining a bit so the seats got a bit wet (only a few drops, not that bad). Needless to say the first thing I did was turn off the windows up/down with key holding function in the MMI so that didn't happen again... not sure what you can do to stop the boot opening accidentally though! Bit worrying...

Interestingly there is an option that can be coded on Mk5 Golf GTIs (and other VAG cars I assume) that closes the windows if it starts raining - it uses the rain sensor to detect obviously.

We've actually switched it off on our GTI as we do occasionally leave the dog in there and i'd much rather have wet seats than dead dog.

 

[cemerson]

That's interesting, might be worth further investigation to see if it can be done on the 8V. Don't like that you can accidentally open the boot - at least if you accidentally unlock the car it locks again after a minute if you don't do anything, but can't do that with the boot as it unlatches it. You just have to hope noone notices as it doesn't raise the boot door by much at all!

Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread with unrelated stuff, sorry!

 

[NHN]

Yes the rain drain as such is normal on some chassis, the wax would only protect the insides from any corrosion, but it allows the run of the window seal to drip down & then run out, otherwise you'd have doors full of water

If you were to check on say an 8P, it has holes in the bottom of the doors specifically for this & the water runs along the top of the half door seals by design & drops down the gap between the mirror base plastic & the seal, behind the speakers & out of the hole at the bottom, but it should only drip onto your seal plates or the ground.

I was studying this on iirc a scirocco & the design was far better & as far as I could see, watertight, begs the question really, but alas.

 

[constvoid]

That's interesting, might be worth further investigation to see if it can be done on the 8V. Don't like that you can accidentally open the boot - at least if you accidentally unlock the car it locks again after a minute if you don't do anything, but can't do that with the boot as it unlatches it. You just have to hope noone notices as it doesn't raise the boot door by much at all!

Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread with unrelated stuff, sorry!

Sorry to continue the hijack, but I was intrigued by your comment about the boot. When I click the boot release on the keyfob the boot isn't unlatched as such, just 'armed' so that the boot can be opened using the 'handle' above the registration plate. I'd assumed this was normal. I must admit I haven't checked if leaving this for any length of time 'disarms' it though.

 

[cemerson]

Hold it down for a bit and it unlatches

 

[constvoid]

ok thanks

 

[Little Red Monster]

I have received a reply from Audi in respect of rainwater collecting in the doors when parked on a slope, they suggest the following...


'I do understand your concerns with the possibility of corrosion, but please be assured that all our vehicles undergo rigorous testing and are provided with a comprehensive warranty. You may wish to consider purchasing a cover for your vehicle which you may find helpful. Please contact your local Audi Centre who will be more than happy to assist you and provide further reassurance. If you would like to confirm your address details, I will happily confirm the three nearest centres to your postcode. Alternatively, full details of all our centres can be found on our website: www.audi.co.uk/locateacentre.'

Do you think this would be a good investment? I was always told covers encourage damp and condensation and may cause further damage? Can one assume the drain holes in the doors are located incorrectly for cars parked on a slope?

 

[Fragup]

I have received a reply from Audi in respect of rainwater collecting in the doors when parked on a slope, they suggest the following...


'I do understand your concerns with the possibility of corrosion, but please be assured that all our vehicles undergo rigorous testing and are provided with a comprehensive warranty. You may wish to consider purchasing a cover for your vehicle which you may find helpful. Please contact your local Audi Centre who will be more than happy to assist you and provide further reassurance. If you would like to confirm your address details, I will happily confirm the three nearest centres to your postcode. Alternatively, full details of all our centres can be found on our website: www.audi.co.uk/locateacentre.'

Do you think this would be a good investment? I was always told covers encourage damp and condensation and may cause further damage? Can one assume the drain holes in the doors are located incorrectly for cars parked on a slope?

not sure about the cover, seams a bit of a pain unless you are going to leave for long periods without using it.
, but my old Honda civic used to have the same problem with water in the doors, so they pulled out and left out the little Rubber bungs in the bottom of the doors, which let the collected water out, seamed to work. Had the car for nearly another 4 years with no problems, so probably nothing to worry about.